George Walter Thornbury (1828-1876) was an English writer and a favourite of Charles Dickens.
When Herbert Blamyre is summoned back from his vacation for an urgent mission, he knows it is a matter of great importance to his firm. And indeed, he is to travel to Naples with two trunks, secured with cryptic letter locks, containing a million in gold. His instructions are to speak to nobody and make no friends on his journey. But already when he boards the boat to Calais, he strikes up an acquaintance with the blustery Major and his domineering wife, as well as the rather odd Mr. Levinson, a commercial traveller in waterproofs...who mysteriously is travelling with an identical set of trunks.
An action-packed adventure follows, as it becomes clear that none of the passengers is quite what they seem...and the series of mishaps en route cannot be quite so coincidental as they are portrayed to be. A riveting yarn!